Despite the severe restrictions he's put in place during the coronavirus emergency, Gov. Charlie Baker's popularity remains high -- so much so that he's apparently liked as much as New England's favorite coffee chain.
In a new poll, 72% of Massachusetts residents said they thought of Baker favorably, compared to just 15% who thought of him unfavorably. Those numbers are nearly as high as Dunkin's, which pollsters at the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion found Thursday was seen as favorable by 73% of respondents, unfavorable by 10%.
In fact, Baker's approval rating in Massachusetts is higher than even the men who led the Patriots to their six championships, as NBC News national political correspondent Steve Kornacki pointed out on Twitter:
Baker's numbers are up from a February poll by the same group, when he was seen as favorable by 52% of respondents and unfavorable by 23%.
In Thursday's poll, Baker's favorability numbers are beaten by how Massachusetts residents view how he's responded to the pandemic -- 81% approve, while only 18% disapproved.
"The state is given high marks for its response to coronavirus and for Baker’s job performance, but most remarkably, his approval rating with Democrats is higher than it is among Republicans,” professor Joshua Dyck, director of the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion, noted in a statement.
The survey, of 1,000 Massachusetts registered voters, was conducted from April 27 to May 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6%.
